Mount Calavite is a peak located in the island of
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ) and has a population of 1,408,454 as of 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of Luz ...
in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. It measures in elevation and is situated in its namesake headland, Cape Calavite, which forms the northwestern extremity of Mindoro.
The mountain overlooks the municipality of
Paluan
Paluan, officially the Municipality of Paluan ( tgl, Bayan ng Paluan), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 18,566 people.
Geography
The town is loc ...
in the south and the
Lubang Island
Lubang Island is the largest island in the Lubang Group of Islands, an archipelago which lies to the northwest of the northern end of Mindoro in the Philippines. The Lubang Islands are about southwest of Manila. There are seven islands in the gro ...
group in the
Verde Island Passage
The Verde Island Passage is a strait that separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro in the Philippines, connecting the South China Sea with the Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea beyond. Traditionally, the sea lane has been one of the busiest in ...
in the north. It is one of only three areas in the island where Mindoro dwarf buffalos, commonly known as ''
tamaraw
The tamaraw or Mindoro dwarf buffalo (''Bubalus mindorensis'') is a small hoofed mammal belonging to the family Bovidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindoro in the Philippines, and is the only endemic Philippine bovine. It is believed, howe ...
s'', are found.
Protected area
Mount Calavite is located in an protected area known as ''Mount Calavite Wildlife Sanctuary''. It was first declared as a game refuge and bird sanctuary in 1920 to protect the natural habitat of the endemic Mindoro tamaraw. In 1925, the mountain and its adjacent area of FB Harrison village, Paluan was proclaimed a
national park.
The park's current designation as a
wildlife sanctuary
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...
dates to 2000.
Other wildlife known to inhabit the park include endemic bird species such as the
Mindoro bleeding-heart
The Mindoro bleeding-heart (''Gallicolumba platenae''), also referred to as ''kulo-kulo,'' ''la-do'', ''manatad'', ''manuk-manuk'', ''punay'', and ''puñalada'' by the Mangyan, is a species of ground dove native solely to the island of Mindoro in ...
,
Mindoro hornbill,
spotted imperial pigeon and
scarlet-collared flowerpecker.
See also
*
List of protected areas of the Philippines
This is a list of protected areas of the Philippines administered by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)'s Biodiversity Management Bureau under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992. As of 202 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calavite
Mountains of the Philippines
Landforms of Occidental Mindoro
Wildlife sanctuaries of the Philippines